


Parenting by proxy

by Moomo



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Gen, Having Caeldori makes Severa vulnerable and emotional, Mother-Daughter Relationship, No baby realms, Owain Inigo and Severa stay in Nohr/Hoshido, Severa is a great mom, Spoilers I think?, Using the original Awakening names, working through mommy issues by having your own daughter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2016-05-19
Packaged: 2018-06-09 11:55:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6905215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moomo/pseuds/Moomo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Severa stays after the war and has Caeldori with Subaki. But parenting is hard, and Severa is often reminded of her own mother and the mistakes she should have, but never got to the chance to work out with Cordelia.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Parenting by proxy

**Author's Note:**

> Assumptions for this fic:  
> 1\. Birth control/common sense exists in the Fates universe, and no one decides to spawn in the middle of a frickin war. Instead everyone waits until after the war to procreate. Therefore no kids get shovelled into deeprealms.  
> 2\. Owain, Severa, and Inigo stay after the war by smashing the ball Anankos gave them in the Hidden Truths DLC. They have no way of going back to Ylisse.

Looking down at the babe in her arms, Severa feels her heart seize up; little Caeldori was born only three days ago, but she’s already got Severa wrapped around her tiny pinky finger. In the span of three days, Severa has not left her infant daughter for anything other than using the bathroom; instead, Severa has spent the days since Caeldori’s arrival in bed holding her baby and just staring in awe at this perfect little human that she made. 

When Caeldori was born, Severa was overwhelmed. The pain, exhaustion, and fear that plagued her during the delivery disappeared the instant the midwife had laid the squalling babe in her arms. When Severa had peered at the baby’s face and saw those wide innocent eyes staring right back at her, an intense love welled up in heart; Severa knew then that she loved Caeldori more than she thought she was capable of loving anything, so much so that tears welled up in her eyes before she could stop them.

After the war Inigo, Owain, and herself were faced with an impossible decision: return to Ylisse and leave their new Nohrian and Hoshidian friends and family behind, or stay in Nohr and Hoshido and abandon their homeland. After all, their little crystal ball, a parting gift from Anankos, was a one-way ticket. Unable to uproot their spouses and unable to bear parting with them, the three friends chose to smash the little crystal ball and abandon any chance of return to Ylisse. Severa used to wonder if they made the wrong choice then. Sometimes the regret and sadness would wash over her like waves, drowning her, but when those feelings surfaced she closed her eyes and forced herself to remember the feeling of Subaki crawling into bed besides her, cradling her close on cold nights, the feeling of Lady Camilla braiding her hair on those slow Nohrian nights, and even the feelings of exasperation tinged with affection when she was forced to save Setsuna from yet another trap. Focusing on the love she knew she shared with her new friends and family, eventually the pain would recede like a tide leaving Severa to her new life. And now with baby Caeldori in her arms, Severa knows that she made the right choice.

Cradling Caeldori in her arms now, Severa runs her fingers over the wispy baby hair on her daughter’s head. Caeldori doesn’t seem to appreciate her mother’s petting and gurgles crankily. Puzzled, Severa stops stroking her baby’s head which seems to upset Caeldori even more. Distressed, Caeldori begins to whimper and wiggle in her mother’s arms.

“Hey hey, what’s wrong?” Severa coos at the bundle in her arms. “Are you hungry?” 

Caeldori answers her mother with a tiny cry.

“Yesh, I get it, I get it,” Severa groans good naturedly. Severa undoes the first few buttons of her nightgown and slides it down her shoulder before settling Caeldori on her bosom. The infant latches and begins suckling greedily.

“Woah there, slow down Dori,” Severa coos. Ignoring her mother, Caeldori continues suckling. Severa smiles at her daughter’s eagerness for milk and sinks back into the bed. 

Severa’s hair is down and flowing over shoulders as she reclines in bed. Waving her chubby little hand as she nurses, Caeldori finds her mother’s hair and makes an itty bitty little fist around a handful of red. Severa can already tell that her baby has inherited her hair from the downy fuzz growing on her daughter’s head. As her daughter continues to nurse, Severa runs a finger over her daughter’s cheek and observes her. Caeldori has the same eyes as Subaki, the same nose too. She’ll probably grow up to be a beautiful as her father is handsome. But there is something about Caeldori, the little sighs she lets out when she happy, the little crinkle in her brow before she sneezes, the curve of her little mouth, there is something there that reminds Severa so much about the mother she has left twice now. 

Severa doesn’t linger on thoughts of Cordelia. Inigo, Owain, and herself had no time for lengthy goodbyes when they were summoned so unexpectedly by Anankos all those years ago. They managed a quick “I’ll be back soon, stay safe, and enjoy your time with mini-me!” before racing off to the Mila tree. Severa allows herself to wonder what it’s like in Ylisse now. She wonders if her mother that still lived missed her, or if she was too busy with mini-Severa to care about the surly girl that appeared out of the blue one day.

“I miss you mother,” Severa admits out loud. “I try not to, but I do.”

Caeldori unlatches and burbles happily now that she is full. Pulled back to the present, Severa buttons up her nightgown and adjusts Caeldori in her arms to burp her. 

“You’re kinda named after your Grandmother you know?” Severa talks to Caeldori as she rubs circles on the infant’s back. “My mother’s name was, is I mean, Cordelia. Daddy loved me enough to name you Caeldori after her.”

Caeldori wiggles a little and burbles but no burp yet, so Severa continues rubbing and talking.

“My mother is perfect you know? People use to always compare us. I never quite met the standards she set though,” Severa sighs. “I don’t ever want you to feel that way though, ok Caeldori? Don’t ever try to compare yourself to me or daddy; just do your best okay?”

Caeldori squeals, delighted at her mother’s attention. Severa smiles at her daughter’s glee.

“I love you so much my baby. I would do anything for you,” Severa admits, the words, free of her usual snark and sass, feel surprisingly natural and completely honest.

Caeldori burps and wiggles in her mother’s arms. Severa adjusts the baby again in her arms and looks her daughter in the eyes.

“I promise you Caeldori, I will love you and protect you for the rest of my life,” Severa swears. Caeldori only yawns in response. “I broke a promise to my mother once, that we would build a new future together with no more sad goodbyes,” Severa tears up but presses on, “but I got you and daddy out of it, so I don’t regret it anymore. I won’t break my promise to you though because you are the most important person in my entire world now.”

Caeldori looks at Severa with big wide innocent eyes before yawning again and drifting off to sleep. As her baby drifts off to sleep in her arms, Severa leans back and looks up at the ceiling.

“Hey mom,” Severa begins, more tears gathering in her eyes. “I get it now okay? I get why you had to leave me. I love Caeldori more than anyone, even myself, and I wouldn’t mind dying in order to secure a peaceful future for her. I wish you could see her mom; I think you’d love her too.”

Severa is sobbing in earnest now. “I forgive you for leaving me mommy. And I’m sorry. I’m sorry for being a selfish brat, and I’m sorry for saying all those mean things to you before you left and then you died thinking that I hated you! I’m so sorry mommy!”

Severa’s bawling is rousing Caeldori. Upset at being woken Caeldori whines and gurgles unhappily. Focusing back on her daughter, Severa snivels but smiles. “Sorry sweetie. I got carried away for a minute there; don’t tell anyone though!” 

Pressing a kiss to her daughter’s forehead, Severa soothes Caeldori back to sleep by whispering tales of her grandmother into her tiny ears.


End file.
